Preservation News: New Opportunity at Gettysburg’s Seminary Ridge

Check-out the details about this new tract of land that American Battlefield Trust is working save on Seminary Ridge, at Gettysburg!

There is a remarkable opportunity to save 18 critical acres on Seminary Ridge, on the First Day’s battlefield at Gettysburg! This is some of the most historically significant land at Gettysburg that is still in private hands. It is hallowed ground that witnessed the climactic scene of fierce, deadly fighting on July 1, 1863.

Here, in the late afternoon, Union troops made a final, desperate defense of Seminary Ridge and were met with a renewed attack from the Confederates.

The famed Union Iron Brigade, along with one New York and six Pennsylvania regiments, tried to hold back North and South Carolinians in Alfred Scales and Abner Perrin’s brigades. Four Union batteries that crowned the Ridge, including six fearsome Napoleon guns posted directly on a portion of the land we are trying to save, fired over the heads of the Union infantrymen with devastating effect on the advancing Confederates.

A captain in the Iron Brigade recalled later that infantrymen fired so fast their rifles became hot, and the smoke was so thick that it was as dark as night. Many wounded fell rapidly on both sides.

Seminary Ridge at Gettysburg (photo courtesy of American Battlefield Trust)

This land is some of the largest and most significant remaining unprotected acreage on Seminary Ridge. Remarkably, it is nearly unchanged from 1863. But its future as an open space can’t be guaranteed until this hallowed ground is permanently protected.

American Battlefield Trust (ABT) is seeking your help to save this historic treasure so future generations can better understand the Battle of Gettysburg, and ultimately understand the American Civil War.

The price for this land is $3.5 million. Due to its location, federal matching grants are not available and ABT is spearheading the preservation charge alone. It is a big task, but with your assistance this land can be preserved.